Back to the Table

Tonight I returned to my favorite place to be on Thanksgiving Eve, the table of toothbrushes.


Last year the Westside Thanksgiving served over 2,500 people. In addition to a hearty Thanksgiving meal, guests receive immunizations, clothing, shoes, hygiene kits, haircuts, games, live entertainment, and basic medical consultation. 


Tomorrow, they will do it all over again.


Hundreds of volunteers gathered tonight at the Santa Monica Civic Center in preparation for the Thanksgiving celebration. My favorite place: the table of toothbrushes. As a part of the hygiene kit human assembly line, I stand at the table of toothbrushes and pass out toothbrushes to the individuals compiling the kits. As they pass me they go on to collect soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, socks, and washcloths. And, person by person, I hear snippits of inspiration, one toothbrush at a time.


Tonight, we started with instructions. The kind woman who organizes the hygiene kit supply collection and compilation gathered the group and said a number of important things. She reminded us all:

• The goal is not to go through the line as quickly as possible and stuff them as much as you can. The goal of tonight is to make a bag with care for each guest tomorrow. 
• We aren't trying to stuff them with all the "good stuff," we're trying to make as many hygiene kits as possible. Take 1 big toothpaste or two small toothpastes, one big bar of soap or two small bars of soap. 
• Make them fair. 
• We want everyone to leave tomorrow with a kit that will be meaningful to them.

With that, hygiene kit assembly commenced.


As I handed out toothbrush by toothbrush, I smiled, I was thankful, I was inspired.

• A majority of participants tonight were local high school students. Hundreds of high schoolers took the time to come with friends to make hygiene kits for tomorrow's guests. 
• A group of elementary school girls circled the assembly line multiple times. Every time they got a toothbrush they were in awe... "That's such a cute toothbrush" they said with smiles on their faces, "they are lucky to get those!" thinking of other kids who might be so lucky to get such cool toothbrushes tomorrow.
• A woman who I'd established an agreement with... every time she came by, she'd receive at least 2+ toothbrushes per bag. About halfway through the hygiene kit assembly it was evident that there were far more toothbrushes than other supplies. We both acknowledged this fact and started putting more toothbrushes in her bags. "Put more toothbrushes in," she said, "they're important." Every time she passed by she'd say, "back for those toothbrushes" and would receive as many as she asked for. Tomorrow at least half the bags with multiple toothbrushes thanks to her. They are important.

Tomorrow, over 2,000 guests will sit at a table, be a valued part of the community, and celebrate Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for.

Toothpaste donated from schools and community members

And soap!

Messages for tomorrow's guests.

And encouragement from a child. 

With this, my friends, I am humbled to celebrate a full 365 Days of Service. Exactly a year ago I started off with a goal of blogging an act of kindness, service, highlighting an organization or a person who is doing good for every single day of the year. Now, a year later, mission accomplished. There is a post for each of the past 365 days.

Many thanks to everyone who has encouraged, supported, celebrated this effort along the way. Thanks to everyone who sent in stories of service - my mother, sister, father, uncle, cousin, teacher, friend, after friend, after friend, after friend who shared the good going on in this world. 

I've been inspired by each organization, each individual, and every story. And, most of all, I've learned that if you look for service, you will see it around you every single day. It can be as simple as a Snuggie or as strong as standing up for a survivor. It can be something huge someone does around the world or it can be in your neighborhood or in your good thoughts. You can help save the planet or sing. Use your passion to make a difference.

If you look for it, if you listen for it, service is all around you.

Most of all, the greatest form of service is being kind to one another. If we are all good to our neighbor, good to a stranger, and treat everyone with care, this kindness - and service - happens everyday, everywhere. 

And service will continue! While 365 Days of Service will not post every day, we still celebrate service all around us. Please continue to see service around you, send in stories, and 365 will post acts of kindness and service to share. 

Go, serve!

FUN with PUN!

PUN (right) with our good friend Scott.

If Webster had a place for "Man of Service" in the dictionary, it would be defined as this: PUN.


As we close out a year of service, 365 Days of Service is proud to showcase PUN as a man who lives service every single day of the year.


PUN volunteers at camp. He volunteers at all of our programs. PUN volunteers every weekend and he spends multiple nights at camp every summer session. He's done this since camp opened in 2004 and will continue to do this for a long time coming. 


And we're not the only program PUN volunteers for. He's an active volunteer with our program, Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times, Padres Contra El Cancer, an on-call support to families in times of emergency, and visits every children's hospital in the LA area. And those are just a part of his list. 


PUN not only spends his time actively volunteering at each program, he spends time creatively thinking about each program. He develops games for children to play, he thinks of positive suggestions to help make programs better, he does magic, creates children's game shows. He has an endless list of PUNs to pull out at any given second - an active list stored in his head and a growing list that he comes up with on the spot (test him, I challenge you, he'll have a PUN for anything you say). Always dressed with his bucket hat covered in non-profit organization pins and a coat that holds ropes for rope tricks to plungers for his "Harry Potty" act, PUN is always prepared. He works wonders by giving children a 12-inch piece of rope and teaching them to tie a knot with one hand. What do children do with their PUN-taught trick? Children learn a new trick, they perform their trick and shine on stage during Stage Night, they are proud to show their trick to their family and friends, and the teach their rope trick to another child. The PUN effect has immeasurable positive outcomes. 


At camp, children and families come to see PUN. He knows every camper's name. He connects with every child and family member individually. When a child is having a rough time, PUN is the person who is called to provide support. Kids and families come to hear his jokes, see his magic shows, and delight in the way he makes them feel. With PUN, children shine. 


PUN is a teacher, a comedian, a leader, a motivator, an inspiration, an expert on children, a man with endless tools in his toolbox, a coach, a counselor, a mentor, a cheerleader, and a friend. Parents trust him, young adults admire him, children adore him. 


PUN is a man that lives service every single day of the year. Thank you, PUN, for your dedication to make a difference. You're PUN-in-a-million!

Girls!

Girls Weeken 2009!

Now I couldn't blog about service without including a feature about these two wonderful women.


Let me introduce you to two women who define friendship: Kimmy and Bridget.


Our friendship together dates back to 2004, our first of 3 fun-filled summers working together. Hermoine, Penelope, and Ginger threw tea parties and so much more.


And to celebrate our friendship we started a tradition... Girls' Weekend! 


It all started when we enjoyed some of the most relaxing time off in a wonderful place called CenterPeace. We were kindly invited by our loving host, Sarah, who knew we could use some quality quiet and relaxing fun. While with Sarah at CenterPeace we cooked, ate, drank, laughed, took a tour of the pictures on her wall, heard fun stories, were inspired to friendship greatness, and listened to vinyl records. A good time indeed. And every year we create an equally good time in a different city. 



2011 marked our 5th anniversary. At first we thought celebrating a birthday was the best reason to start this get together and it has now become a tradition that we'll continue for a very long time. What goes into Girls' Weekend? Select a date, select a city, purchase tickets, make a GW soundtrack (Bridgie's best!), and hopefully find a t-shirt to commemorate. Cities we've hit? New Haven, Las Vegas, Cleveland, St. Louis, and Los Angeles. Smyrna, Delaware, watch out... we're coming! 


And, yes, the cities we visit are fun and we do fun things together. But the best part is that we're together. These ladies are forever friends. We love the time we spend together and we know it. They are funny, caring, compassionate, loving, more funny, fun, thoughtful, creative, talented, wonders of this world. 


Whether it's tallying small dogs and monkey backpacks or eating Mystic Pizza, Girls' Weekens always rock. 


Cheers to Girls' Weekends, the service of friendship, and the love and happiness friends provide!

Meera Bonbonerie!

365 Days of Service takes today to salute Meera Bonbonerie!


Her legal name is Meera, however, after a surprise package arrived to our office door from The Bonbonerie with an address tag labeled "Meera Bonbonerie" at the top, her official name in California was changed to Meera Bonbonerie to better represent her actions!


Meera is a great friend and a thoughtful, dedicated, generous woman of service!


And now, a list of the Top 5 Meera Bonbonerie facts!


Meera Bonbonerie Fact #1: Meera is camp in human form. She LOVES camp. She's volunteered at more camps than I know, she always has camp on her mind. She takes time to volunteer at camp programs around the world - and better yet, she encourages friends and loved ones to volunteer, create, and experience the magic of camp with her. 


Meera Bonbonerie Fact #2: Meera is amazing. She studied overseas to become a doctor and is nearly done with the becoming-a-doctor process (a lot of school, tests, rotations, etc.).


Meera Bonbonerie Fact #3: Meera has a sense of style that she rocks every single day. She is an amazing accessorizer. A combination of fun skirts, beads, bracelets and sparkly headbands always leaves me in awe of her fashion and flare! 


Meera Bonbonerie Fact #4: Meera is an incredible package sender. She sends care packages frequently and has been known to go to great lengths to support baker-hunter endeavors. She's sent cupcakes via jar, cheesecake, and, of course, the mailing that led to the great name, iced butter cookies from The Bonbonerie! Did I mention that she somehow sent these things while studying abroad on an island in the middle of the ocean?


Meera Bonbonerie Fact #5: Meera is a wonderful friend. Time after time Meera and I scheduled weekly and monthly calls. Calls to catch up, calls to plan the next big adventure. When you're around Meera, there's always something big brewing. And when we're not in touch via friendly phone call or email invitiation for the next great event, Meera is sending a care package. One of my favorite gifts? Last year Meera sent me a package of M&Ms, chocolate-coconut kind. It was a gift that was truly Meera - one that showed her thoughtfulness to remember my birthday, a sweet card with a loving message, plus a gift that she knew I would absolutely love. 


Thanks, Meera, for being a friend who shows her thoughtfulness and care in so many different ways. A friend who I always think of in fun-memory form - like the Bubblefest mix I listened to this weekend. You are loved.

Big Sur Half Marathon

Kristin and I conquered the Big Sur Half Marathon!


Congratulations to the over 6,000 competitors who participated in this 13.1 mile run. It was awesome.


And there was no shortage of service all over the course.


First, there were crowds of people cheering us on the entire course. It was early in the morning, rain was in the forecast and the crowds were as determined as the runners to make this a great day. Marines stood at every street corner directing runners and cheering us on. I heard a young one, no older than 3 years, chant "go runners, go runners!" endlessly. There was an awesome man with very large hair on rollerblades with awesome homemade signs and an enthusiasm and humor that I know brought a smile to every single runner. 


Plenty of individuals running for a cause too! As always, there was a good representation of Team in Training runners, adding to the over 1.2 billion dollars raised for cancer research. The Monterey Bay Aquarium had a team of runners with Seafood Watch jerseys to bring awareness to help turn the tide on damaging fishing practices and more. The most visible group - Athletes for Adoption. This team raised money for God's Grace Adoption Ministry, a non-profit dedicated to ease the financial burden to help families overcome the financial burden of adopting children. They place orphaned children around the world in loving homes and families. In addition, part of our run was on a "Rails to Trails" pathway. Rails to Trails is a Washington D.C. based non-profit that strives to create a nationwide of trails from former rail lines and to help build healthier places for healthier people. 


And there was a woman who I trailed for the first 5 miles. Her shirt read, "In memory of Carmen."  Although I didn't know this woman, Carmen, or their story, both inspired me today.


Congratulations to all runners and a 365 shout out to all those who run with a purpose!

Hostess with the mostest!

An amazing Maine morning at the lake.

Our perfect lakeside home.

Hammock and I became good friends.

Ellen Buus is the hostess with the mostest! 


Maine has been on at the top of my list of places to visit for a couple of years now. Always seeming to be on the exact opposite corner of Maine, making a trip there didn't seem the easiest thing to do... until Ellen Buus. 


Ellen is a great colleague. She works at our sister camp in CT, coordinating their hundreds of volunteers annually. She's amazing. During one of our conferences Ellen told us about how she always goes to a lakehouse in Maine. Not only did she invite us to join her, she said she would be the hostess with the mostest - and she was. 


Ellen coordinated everything to be the perfect trip. Lucky trip-goers? Bryan, a California colleague of mine, and Lindsay, a CT colleague of Ellen. All of us - great travel partners and friends. 


We journeyed to Hartland, ME. Well, let me take a step back. Actually, Bryan and I were in California and booked on flights to fly in to CT and Boston at the exact time that Hurricane Irene was arriving. Ellen kept us posted on the hurricanes progress and encouraged us to get earlier flights so we could "hunker" down for the hurricane in CT so as soon as Irene passed we could hit the road to Maine. Instead of flying out on Saturday night as planned, at 5:30 pm on Friday Bryan and I were re-booked for flights at 10:30 that evening. The hurricane had nothing on us!


So, Ellen invited us for the hurricane and it was awesome. I'm sure that if we didn't get there before the hurricane we wouldn't have gotten there at all. 


Now, back to Hartland, ME. When we arrived at "camp" (that's what they call the cabins on the lake!) we were all SO excited. The cabin we were staying in was absolutely perfect for us. So cute and cozy, right on the lake, quiet, surrounded by trees. Awesome cabin + good friends = perfection.


Our cabin was on Great Moose Lake. Ellen has been going to the lake since she was a little girl and was so happy to share the lake with us. For 2 days we kayaked, napped, jumped in the lake to cool off, watched the sun rise and set and discovered sun trajectory theories never before understood. We listened to good music, played bartering card games, read, cooked, enjoyed delicious drinks, sun-bathed, laughed, and truly relaxed. Amazing.


After a few days on the lake, Ellen took us to Acadia National Park. We had a limited amount of time in the park, but with Ellen as our tourguide, we were able to conquer it all. She arranged our campgrounds, planned our days to see all the best spots plus eat our meals at the best restaurants. We watched the sunset from Cadillac Mountain, kayaked the sound, drove around the park loop, camped, sat around the campfire, ate popovers and lobster stew, biked the carriage roads, and hiked (accidentally) both bubbles.


Ellen and I were fortunate to return to the cabin for another 3 days and were joined by good friends Lindsay S. and Blaine. For three more days we kayaked, napped, read, cooked, bbq'ed, enjoyed time with Ed and Hazel, laughed, and had so much fun.


The best parts of this trip?


Ellen loves the lake and I loved that she was so happy to share the lake with us. She showed us her family's camp, told us stories, and wanted us to enjoy the lake as much as she's been able to enjoy the lake over the years.


Food! Ellen took us to eat at all the best food places. We enjoyed seafood baskets and blueberry pie at Haraseeket Lunch and Lobster . She coached us to be lobster eating champions at Thurston's. She introduced us to popovers and lobster stew at The Jordan Pond House.


Enjoying the ride...Ellen planned every aspect of our trip. She reserved the cabin on the lake, reserved our campground, recommended activities that we would all enjoy, showed us all of the best spots. We literally were on board for the best ride and our job was to simply enjoy it all. 

Rest and relaxation. After all of us working really hard throughout the summer, to have time and place to rest and relax is the exactly what we NEED. We need to sleep, we need to relax, we need to be away. Ellen provided us the most perfect way to for us to take care of ourselves. And that, in and of itself, is a priceless gift. 

Time. Ellen gave us time. Being at the lake, enjoying Acadia, experiencing the great outdoor adventures... through it all we were able to spend time together. We shared stories, we laughed a lot, we created so many memories. 

And even when days seem to get long nowadays, I remember Maine. 

I am so thankful for Ellen and for giving all of us such an incredible vacation. This was an experiences I know I could have never created on my own. Because of Ellen's generosity, I was able to enjoy the vacation of a lifetime with such good friends in a place that I've been dreaming of visiting for a long time.

Thanks, Ellen. You are the hostest with the mostest!

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse

First Descents

First Descents offers outdoor adventure programs for young adult cancer fighters and survivors. As First Descents states, they offer the opportunity for young adults to "climb, paddle, and surf beyond their diagnosis, defy their cancer, reclaim their lives and connect with other adults doing the same. 


First Descents programs last from 1 day to 1 week and happen in locations across the country. Participants rock climb in Utah and Colorado, surf in California, or whitewater kayak in Oregon, Montana, Colorado, or North Carolina. 


Learn more about this amazing program!